


Cutting the Red Tape

by Beckon



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games)
Genre: Because the third main is in the Krypt, Cage fans, Don't Interact, Drinking & Talking, F/M, Getting information, My MK11 mains, Neck Kissing, Reclaiming this tag, Shit talking, Tournament timeline
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:07:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25681771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beckon/pseuds/Beckon
Summary: "A little rabbit in the grapevine told me that you heard of some information about me," Sonya started, as she moved to cross her arms now. She kept herself close to the man still, at least enough to keep him from escaping- which continued to not really help her cause at the moment. "I want to hear it.""Look, whatever information Cage said that I know about has about as much merit as he does as a fighter."Sonya found herself amused with just how quickly Kung Lao answered.And how quickly he knew what she was talking about.
Relationships: Sonya Blade/Kung Lao
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Cutting the Red Tape

**Author's Note:**

> This whole story is mostly based off this taunt:
> 
> Sonya: You and Johnny getting along?  
> Kung Lao: We have shared a drink or two.  
> Sonya: Tell me everything he said about me.

The one, and only, perk to Outworld was that word traveled fast.

And that secrets were hard to keep.

Which, in hindsight, was probably more of a downside than anything, considering the amount of gossip that was passed around between matches- which in turn would spread like wildfire during the after hours.

But in this specific case, Sonya would count it as an upside.

Especially given just how quickly she had learned about how the local movie star was going around talking about her.

Sonya couldn't even fathom what kind of horseshit the man was going around spreading. Well, sadly enough, she could actually. Hell, she probably knew exactly what Cage was saying about her without needing to hear the words from the asshole's mouth himself.

It couldn't be much different from what he actually said to her face after all.

Given how the man had been breathing down her neck, trying to go for a touch-and-feel every now and again, Sonya wasn't surprised to find out that he was out talking about her at any given opportunity. Or that he was talking to anyone and everyone who would listen- voluntarily or not.

She wanted to know exactly _what_ he was saying though.

She didn't want to assume or run a hypothetical.

She wanted to know every word verbatim; she wanted evidence.

They were in the middle of a Tournament, in the middle of a fight for Earthrealm's last chance at sovereignty.

It was a miracle she had been picked to come out and fight to begin with.

And now some Hollywood asshole was out here trying to tarnish her reputation.

Johnny Cage wasn't the only admirer she had out here, but he was certainly making himself out to be the biggest fuck boy out of all of them- which was quite a feat, considering that Sonya knew well of Shang Tsung's own admiration towards her.

Luckily she was great at getting intel- and even better at tracking down her sources.

One of whom just happened to be on Earthrealm's team as well.

And one of whom was very easy to pick out in a crowd.

Although in all fairness, and not to discredit herself, her source made himself easy to spot, easy to recognize from any distance, with or without interference. It was more than likely a character trait of his; a decision he had made on purpose. All so that you didn't have to know his name to know which fighter he was.

But it worked out in her favor, so she wouldn't complain.

Because in the end, she didn't really have to go looking for him.

The biggest issue was getting her source alone, but even that was easy to do.

And even better, she could do it without garnering suspicion.

Sonya tracked her source for a short while, just to get used to his routine, to see where he was going- and who he was with. But the moment she realized that he was heading back towards their rooms, to their temporary lodgings during the Tournament, she already knew that he would be alone there.

And he was.

Given that she knew where the rest of the Earthrealm forces were, she had a guarantee that it was just the two of them here; no witnesses.

She decided to go ahead with her plan while the opening was in front of her.

For a Shaolin, Kung Lao didn't hear her approach at all.

In fact, he didn't even seem to notice her until she was on him.

Until she speared him at the next corner and had him up against the wall in about three seconds time.

It was a bit of an overkill, but she was used to doing things that way.

There were about five seconds of panicked silence before he realized who she was.

"Lieutenant Blade-"

"You're not adapted to ambushes," Sonya remarked.

"I recognized your footsteps," Kung Lao replied; a tick of irritation in his voice as he spoke. He moved to de-tangle her hands from his tunic and released himself from her hold, which she allowed him out of. "I figured you were returning to your room just as I was returning to mine. You'll have to excuse that I wasn't expecting to be ambushed by my own ally- especially given the time and place."

Admittedly, he had a good point.

At least about the whole time and place thing.

Kung Lao was one of the fighters handpicked by the Shaolin, as well as by Raiden.

The previous Great Kung Lao had won Earthrealm's tenth Tournament out from underneath Shang Tsung, just barely sparing them from an Outworld invasion. And seeing how they were now stuck in the exact same predicament, there were a lot of people banking on him to repeat his ancestor's victory. Which made him a well-known target under Shao Kahn's rule.

He was on edge, as they all were at this point.

So her impulsive actions weren't exactly acceptable right now- but they had already crossed that bridge.

"A little rabbit in the grapevine told me that you heard of some information about me," Sonya started, as she moved to cross her arms now. She kept herself close to the man still, at least enough to keep him from escaping- which continued to not really help her cause at the moment. "I want to hear it."

"Look, whatever information Cage said that I know about has about as much merit as he does as a fighter."

Sonya found herself amused with just how quickly Kung Lao answered.

And how quickly he knew what she was talking about.

While she hadn't heard about Kung Lao's involvement directly from Cage, she had witnessed the two of them together on-and-off. And she had heard Raiden mention off-handed that he had seen the two together as well- mostly because he was looking for the Shaolin and always ended up finding the movie star instead.

Either way, she knew that Cage was stupid enough to open his mouth around anyone who would listen.

And she knew that Kung Lao would at least be curious enough, or drunk enough, to hang around and listen to what the man had to say.

"You really wouldn't survive torture, you know that?" Sonya remarked once more.

"I wasn't aware it was a prerequisite," Kung Lao countered, "- or that the Special Forces condoned it."

She frowned at the spitted remark but knew that she had set herself up for it.

"Besides, I've heard what Raiden has said about you as well- and given the circumstances, we don't need any more inner fighting than what we already have," he continued, his shoulders relaxing somewhat as he spoke. "And given the topic, it wouldn't be fair to hold it over your head, especially now that you're aware of what's been going on."

In all fairness, despite this being Earthrealm's last chance to avoid invasion, there _was_ a lot of fighting going on amongst them.

It was most just fruitless debates, mostly lead on by Cage, but they were distracting one another from the real issues here.

And if they didn't pull themselves together soon, it was going to come back and bite them in the ass.

"Oh, so Raiden has something to say about me now?" Sonya questioned.

"You can pick which one you want me to rat out- but only one," Kung Lao replied.

He had a leverage against her- and he was smart enough to use it.

She couldn't blame him.

It still made her mad though.

In an attempt to ease up on the man, Sonya took a step back and let her hands drop to her waist now, shifting her outward appearance to go with a different approach. "I'll be open about this- even though you already seem to know what's going on," she started. "I know Cage has been running his mouth about me. And I know that I've seen the two of you hanging out together outside of the arena. I want to know what you know. Tell me everything he has said about me."

"I wouldn't say we've been hanging out together," Kung Lao quickly rebutted. "We usually just end up at the same bar- and Cage invites himself over."

Cage was overbearing like that.

He liked to butt into other people's conversations just to see what was going on, and then figure out how he could change the subject around to focus on himself.

He liked to brag, no matter how much trouble it got him into.

It wouldn't be the first time she had seen it.

If anything though, Sonya was tempted to say that Cage and Kung Lao were similar in that vein, which might've been why Cage had taken to annoying and ragging on the Shaolin. The movie star was either territorial about showing off, or just wanted to show off how much of a bigger asshole he could be. Which of course, usually lead to tempers flaring off between the two.

And while she was certain that neither of the two men would actually go through with fighting one another to prove a point, not while Raiden was around at least, she also wouldn't be surprised if it eventually came down to it.

Hopefully only once the Tournament had passed.

"Alright, give it up then," Sonya pressed. "What's it going to take to loosen some lips around here?"

"Funny, Cage was just asking the same thing the other day-"

"I'm looking to loosen them, but I'm not above _busting_ them open either."

Kung Lao held his hands up in mock surrender, clearly understanding the bite in her tone after his misplaced joke- as well as noticing the threatening step she had made towards him. "Alright, look, it's been a long day- and tensions are clearly high around here still," he spoke. "How about you and I get a drink tonight? To break the ice- and make it a little easier to talk to each other."

She assumed he was stalling for time here.

"You don't think I can handle the things Cage said sober?" Sonya remarked.

"I don't think you'll want to," he replied. "There's also a lot to say- especially if you're serious about knowing everything that he's said so far."

What a slimy little _punk_.

Sonya considered the offer over, even though she was pretty certain the man was just using it as an excuse to drink again tonight.

Jax would be busy keeping in contact with the heads in Earthrealm, with keeping them up to date on everything that's happened so far. He was making sure that the Special Forces were prepared in case the final battle was lost, in case invasion proved imminent. No one wanted to make that call, but they would be naive to not make preparations just in case; there was no such thing as being too overcautious- especially given the times.

Raiden would be busy as well.

Sonya didn't know with what, but the Thunder God had been keeping to himself a lot lately. It hadn't caused a problem as of yet, considering Raiden still showed up when he was needed, but she decided to keep an eye on the matter regardless.

The rest of the Earthrealm forces were busy on their own accords, either training or exploring the outside of the Koliseum during what little free time they had after hours.

By all accounts, there was no reason why she couldn't step out for a little while herself.

The situation overall was minor compared to the bigger picture here, but it was still something she took seriously.

"Alright, fine- deal," Sonya finally spoke. "I know the bar you've been frequenting; I'll meet you there once I clear some things up around here. We'll rendezvous in two hours."

"Fine by me."

* * *

She gave herself two hours to check in on Jax and ensure she wasn't needed for the rest of the night.

He seemed busy enough with the tech that filled up the space in his room.

She also used the two hours to try and brace herself for the imminent conversation- for the imminent boom of information she more than likely wouldn't want to actually hear about.

* * *

Sonya had been to plenty of bars in her lifetime.

But there was something about walking into an Outworld bar that just felt strangely uncanny.

Something about it didn't settle right, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

From an outsider looking in, it didn't seem as inherently threatening as she had assumed it would be- or at least, it didn't feel as threatening as other places in the city had felt. And considering the amount of booze going around, Sonya was expecting at least one fight to have already broken out by now.

But instead, the place was just slightly hazy from the amount of people smoking inside.

It was loud, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The patrons seemed to be keeping to themselves and keeping to their own company.

Still, walking in through the front doors made her feel like she looked painfully out of place here.

Sonya had spotted Kung Lao when she walked in, but had opted to head to the bar to pick up a drink first- figuring she should go ahead and prepare herself. She had never had Outworld beer before, let alone any kind of realm-imported liquor, so nothing on the menu even looked remotely familiar to her. But given how everyone else seemed to be drinking it, Kung Lao included, it couldn't be that bad.

She took a quick look around the bar before she ordered the same beer that someone standing next to her had.

She didn't even bother tasting it there, and instead carried the cold bottle with her.

Kung Lao had picked out a table off towards the back of the bar, just slightly secluded by the crowd. The table was still visible, but if someone they both knew walked in, it would take two or three glances around before they would be spotted. And they would certainly see that person first before then- which meant that he had spotted her long before she had spotted him.

She found it interesting to note that the Shaolin had removed his belts and tunic, leaving him in just the sleeveless black shirt he wore underneath them. He had also left his hat behind in his room, which was something she found the most surprising, given the man's attachment to it; the lack of his bladed hat reminded her of the long, black braid that fell almost down to his waist.

And yet, the man had kept the armored plating on his arms- and most likely on his legs as well.

She could only assume it was for obvious safety, so that he would still be protected should some form of combat arise- something of which she still wouldn't write off completely despite the neutral atmosphere around them.

His trademark tunic was bright and hard to miss.

And his bladed hat was a signature all on it's own.

Both of them combined made him easy to identify as one of the Tournament participants- again, something she was certain he did on purpose. And something that would be smart to avoid outside of the arena, which would explain his stripped appearance now. He blended in well with the crowd around him.

Sonya had kept to her usual uniform, but had hidden her gun under her jacket instead- swapping from a thigh holster to a shoulder one.

"I guess I should've asked for some recommendations," Sonya remarked as she pulled out the chair across from him and sat down. "Never had Outworld alcohol before, so I'm going in blind here."

"You're in luck," Kung Lao replied. "Master Bo'Rai Cho's winery produces and supplies most of Outworld's alcohol around here, especially in the capital. He's pretty anal about the whole process and won't accept anything below his standards. So whether you end up liking the beer or not, you can rest assure that it's sterilized and not half-boiled sewer water."

"Nothing about that sentence is reassuring," she spoke.

"It should be," he chuckled. "Just stay away from the stuff listed at the bottom of the menu- trust me."

She had no choice but to take his word for it.

Experience was everything in some cases.

Although she wasn't surprised about the quip that the Shaolin Master was also a master of booze, especially given the way he looked and acted. It was still kind of weird that a man who worked with monks, and who was considered one himself, also ran one of Outworld's largest and most profitable wineries. It felt a little contradictory.

"Alright, let's get to business then," Sonya started, as she leaned against the table, bracing her arms against it.

"That quick, huh?" Kung Lao mused, leaning back into his chair, as though to counter her movement- as though to keep equal space between them. "Alright, but first, before I say anything, I want guaranteed diplomatic immunity during and after this conversation."

She snorted at the request.

"That scared?" she pressed.

"I know you have your gun hidden under your jacket, Lieutenant, and given the topic at hand, I don't want you to literally shoot the messenger is all," he answered. "If you want to get mad at someone, direct your anger to Cage; I'm just repeating what he said, nothing of it is of my own opinion or words."

He was observant- and smarter than he led on.

She couldn't deny that it stroked her curiosity, even though she was certain that everything he was about to say was going to disgust her.

"Your request is granted," Sonya assured, "- but don't be surprised if I still get mad."

"As long as you keep the gun away," Kung Lao replied.

That much she could agree to.

Sonya picked up her cold bottle again, testing the weight of it in her hand before she finally took a deciding sip of the beer inside of it.

It was decent enough. The flavor had a hint of citrus to it, which was a bit weird and unexpected, but nothing she would dump the bottle out for. The aftertaste was smooth and didn't leave a dry taste in her mouth, which was a perk enough on its own.

It would hold her over.

"Alright, start talking."

Kung Lao took a drink from his beer as well, as though needing the confidence boost before he set it down and pushed it aside. "Cage thinks you're wasting your potential by being here," he started. "He thinks you should drop the military act and loosen up- and that you have better potential as a centerfold."

Sonya almost spit her beer out on the next sip.

The subtle choking sound she made to stop herself from doing so didn't go unnoticed either.

"I _just_ started," Kung Lao reminded.

"Yeah- and no one told you to _stop_ ," she quickly replied- and gestured for him to continue.

He chuckled lightly, and Sonya couldn't tell if it was out of amusement, or if he was nervous.

"Alright look, Cage is pretty convinced that once he 'gets' you that you'll make for some good press for him. That you'll be the unknown woman that the tabloids go crazy over trying to figure out," Kung Lao continued. "He said that people love a good mystery woman- especially with an up-and-coming A-star like him. And that it helps that you're not Hollywood beautiful, because it makes you stand out against the other women."

Sonya had to fight back on the fake gag at the remark.

It left a bitter taste in her mouth and stomach.

"And then once you two have your multi-million dollar wedding, you'll be the best trophy wife in Hollywood," he spoke. "Cage thinks you'll make a great career out of staying at home and posting pictures of his mansion on the internet. He wants a bunch of pictures of you around his pool- which I hope you sunbathe topless because that's all he kept talking about at that point. He said jealousy makes for a great follower count."

Sonya pushed herself back into her chair and chugged most of her beer in one go.

Something that didn't go unnoticed.

"Cage was pretty drunk when he said that stuff. He kept rambling on and on, repeating the same things," Kung Lao started. "I don't think he really knew what he was saying at one point."

"And yet, I'm sure he meant every word of it," Sonya scoffed, as she set the bottle down and pushed it aside once more. "He's a rather disgusting creature, isn't he?"

"He's... something," Kung Lao agreed. "Raiden brought him along for a reason- and I question it every time I see him."

Sonya still couldn't decipher why the Thunder God would make such a rash decision like that.

Most of the fighters here didn't need to be questioned as to why they were brought along.

Liu Kang and Kung Lao were two of the Shaolin's best.

Just as well, the two had worked alongside Raiden, who had trained them personally for this Tournament.

Jax was the C.O for the O.W.I.A.

Anything and everything there was to know about Outworld, he knew. From politics, to trade deals, to migrations, Jax tracked everything and everyone that he could- no matter how difficult the case proved to be. Most of the Special Forces' knowledge about the Black Dragons and their black market on stolen technology came from information that Jax uncovered.

He had vouched for her company to be brought along, but she herself had her own list of feats that could back her up on her own. She was one of the Special Forces leading officers; she had countless OPS and special missions under her belt, all of which were successes. She had one of the fastest promotional rates in the forces because of her work.

Not to mention, she had run down numerous Black Dragon hideouts.

And considering the rumors that the Black Dragons were somehow involved in the underground portions of the Tournament, it only made sense to send her in and figure it out.

But Cage?

An A-list movie star just here to make a point?

He didn't fit in with the rest of them.

And Sonya was under the impression that he was aware of it.

"Any reason why Cage told you all of this?" Sonya questioned.

Kung Lao offered her a shrug in response. "He was pretty drunk and I think he just got talking since he knew who I was- even if it was vaguely. But I also think he assumed that me being a monk gave him some sort kind of... confessional confidentiality between us? Look, given the choice, I wouldn't have any conversation with him- but when you're in a place like this, you try not to bring attention to yourself. So if he sat down and started talking, he would just make a scene if I got up and left."

She could understand that.

Cage didn't exactly like people walking away from him.

"Plus, who doesn't like to hear gossip from time to time? It's better than listening to Raiden drone on."

Sonya chuckled at the remark- and admitted that there was a small sliver of truth in the statement. "Alright, come on then, what else did he say?" she pressed, shifting the conversation back on topic. "I'm sure Cage talked about more than just his dreams and aspirations."

"He mentioned something about you probably fighting the paparazzi, which might be a legal thing, but would also make for good press for him," he offered.

"People trying to take pictures of me outside, or inside my house, are guaranteed to get hurt," she replied. "But that's not what I want to hear."

She watched as Kung Lao seemed to delay his response by taking another drink from his beer.

But she still managed to catch the subtle grimace on his face when he did so.

"This is gonna be good."

She heard him choke a little at the words.

"He said some... vulgar things," Kung Lao started. "I'm not exactly comfortable repeating them back to you- since I doubt that Cage would actually say-"

"I already gave you immunity," Sonya interrupted. "I want every word."

He gave her one more reluctant look before he gave in. "Okay so, for the first two days, he really wouldn't stop talking about your ass- and then he moved on to talking about your legs. He saw you do that move where you grabbed the guy with your thighs and then smashed him into the ground. And wouldn't stop talking about it. It eventually dissolved into him talking about what he wanted to do with your legs. Look, I know you said you wanted every word, but he just pretty much went into detail with the things he would do given the first opportunity to do so."

"And?" she continued to press.

"I don't know- Cage was pretty confident that you would like your hair pulled from behind, that you probably liked being manhandled by the legs. He said you looked good in the arena so he had high-hopes that you could withstand his A-list dick-"

Once more, Sonya caught herself almost spitting out her drink.

And she surprised herself with the sharp laugh that escaped her after she barely choked down her beer.

"He said you looked like one of those women who are crazy in public and even crazier in bed."

"In his fucking dreams," she spat.

"Look, I told you this conversation would make you mad," Kung Lao reminded. "Why do you want to know this stuff anyways?"

"Because if he's going around running his mouth, it's not going to take people long to realize that it's me he's talking about," Sonya replied. "And then people are going to make assumptions whenever they see us together. And then in ten years when this Tournament is behind us, people won't recognize me as Lieutenant Blade who helped to defend Earthrealm; I'll just be the hot blonde that Cage never stopped talking about. Call it over the top, but reputation is based on how others perceive you- and right now, he's influencing everyone in how they should see me. And that's not how _I_ want to be seen."

An irritated sigh escaped her before she downed the rest of her beer and pushed herself to her feet.

"I'm getting another beer."

* * *

The night went on with them trading words and getting a few more beers between them.

Sonya figured she could get him to loosen up a little more and that might make him spill some of Cage's more... raunchier topics. She wasn't convinced that what Kung Lao had told her so far was all that had been said between them. After all, the man showed clear reluctance with the topic. Either he was embarrassed about repeating the words himself, or he was embarrassed for Cage.

Or maybe he was still harboring a little bit of fear towards her knowing about all of this.

They engaged in small talk with a few different subjects, nothing serious.

It almost turned into a game really.

Each time they got up to get a new beer, they changed the topic, and it alternated between one another picking said topic- depending on which one of them got up to get a beer.

And it wasn't until her knee was pressed against his own did Sonya even realize that they had been moving their chairs closer together each time they had gotten up and sat back down.

It made her question just how much they had been drinking, considering that she had started on the other side of the table.

"You've asked me all these questions about Cage, and I've yet to ask how you feel about him," Kung Lao started, as he sat back down with a new drink, invoking his turn of conversation. "Although I could probably make a good guess on it by this point."

Sonya rolled her eyes at the remark.

"He gets in my way, he won't stop trying to touch me- and he seems to think it's a game whenever Jax has to get involved on my behalf, which is embarrassing," she listed out. "Cage is the jealous type and it drives me crazy that he thinks I'm something he can win here. As if we don't have more important things to worry about in terms of winning."

She took another sip of her beer, now finding the citrus hint to it almost addicting.

"He has a personality like sandpaper," he remarked.

She chuckled and lightly elbowed him in response, almost causing him to spill his beer while he was drinking it.

"Sandpaper is too nice," Sonya replied. "I would rather jump into an acid pool than speak to him again."

"This is Outworld, and there is an acid pool," Kung Lao remarked, "- it could be arranged."

And the offer was tempting.

"Well how about this, seeing as Cage also keeps bothering you, how do you feel about him?" Sonya asked, as she turned the question around on him now.

"Uh, well, our first conversation consisted of him telling me that I should change my last name, or go under a stage name, because Lao wasn't really something a crowd would like to chant," he answered.

She furrowed her brow at the remark.

"Lao's not-"

"Lao's not my last name," he finished. "Now imagine trying to argue with someone about your own name."

Sonya snorted softly, a little sympathetic to the cause. "Well, at least he's not trying to change your last name to his."

When Kung Lao laughed in return, she was hoping that it was also out of sympathy.

"What would Cage think if he saw us sitting here, talking shit about him?" he questioned out loud, before said question seemed to strike something. "Which... come to think of it, is a real possibility. He did say that he was going to try a different bar tonight, but there's a good chance he might've gotten thrown out of it- especially if there was no one there to keep him under control."

The possibility of that scenario hadn't even crossed her mind.

And hearing Kung Lao bring it up made her realize that such a possibility should've been on the forefront.

Cage would probably lose it if he saw her with Kung Lao, the guy he had been ragging to for the past couple of days about her.

"Should we think of an excuse, or would you rather him know that you know everything he was saying about you?" Kung Lao asked.

Sonya didn't think Cage would be that upset over her knowing about everything he was saying behind her back; he hardly seemed like the type to care if a secret like that got out. After all, it would mean that he would have to take responsibility for his actions, which was something he would never do.

If anything Cage would be more upset over the fact that Kung Lao had managed to score a bar date with her before he did.

Not that she would call this a bar date.

"If he wants to know, he can know," Sonya offered with a shrug. "But," she quickly added, "the Special Forces and the Shaolin had been united for decades, so it only makes sense that we would know one another. We're both on the same team here, it shouldn't be weird to see us together outside of the arena- especially with the Tournament as it is. Any coincidences made of it are just that- coincidences."

"Yeah, but Cage won't see it that way," Kung Lao reminded.

"Ask me if I give a fuck about how Cage will see it," she countered.

Kung Lao gave another laugh at the remark.

"I don't know shit about the Special Forces," he admitted.

"And I don't know shit about the Shaolin."

* * *

Another hour or two went by.

And with it went another three or four beers.

Sonya knew that she definitely had had too much to drink by this point.

And in her semi-drunk mindset, she had convinced herself that a combination of Tournament and non-Tournament related stress justified the excessive drinking. After all, the months of training and countless debriefings that had lead up to this had been Hell enough for one person to stand- physically and mentally. And that wasn't even counting the stress of being here, of being in the arena, and knowing that Earthrealm's defense depended on her to pull her own weight.

Of course, she already knew that the messy defense wouldn't hold up tomorrow when she was looking at herself in the mirror- hungover and strung out.

But for now, it was good enough to keep her in high spirits.

It certainly didn't help that her drinking partner had no qualms with getting another round whenever she wanted one.

"We should start heading back soon," Kung Lao started, "- before Raiden comes after the both of us."

She gave a mental groan at the thought.

"Jax will have my ass over this," Sonya remarked just the same, as she flexed her fingers to bring the feeling back into them.

She wasn't even aware that she had had her arm resting across the back of Kung Lao's chair until then, in which she then moved her arm to rest across his shoulders instead. It was more comfortable and it kept her arm from getting pinched against the hardwood.

She could feel the way Kung Lao was also slumped back in his chair, which alone was an indicator that the both of them should've stopped drinking about three beers ago- at the start of the hour.

"This isn't exactly how we should be spending our time here," she quipped.

"It's a little late to be saying that," he chuckled. "This whole Tournament is a once in a generation type thing. There's nothing wrong with letting loose for one night and taking in what we're missing during the fights."

That was where they differed slightly in views.

The Tournament was in fact a once in a generation type thing.

Which meant that they should be putting all of their focus into it, that they should be doing around-the-clock work to ensure that they were staying on top of things. They could sacrifice a few days of fun for hard work- and make sure that their realm would live to see another generation.

But like he mentioned, it was a little too late to be thinking it.

"Not if we lose," Sonya reminded.

"I'm not going to lose."

She chuckled at his quick rebuttal before she used her arm to pull him in against her- and she wasn't surprised with just how easy he was to move. She took the moving opportunity to tuck her head into the curve of his neck. It wasn't something she would normally do, that much Sonya could call herself out on; if anything, she was the least physical person outside of combat

Even when she was tipsy.

But Kung Lao seemed to be touchy regardless- and getting tipsy only amplified his gestures.

It was the occasional bump of the arm here or there, the occasional graze of his fingers against her hand; he had even tucked a hair or two behind her ear when it fell into her face mid-conversation. The two of them had even shared a bottle between them when they had each gotten a different beer, and the one she had picked had been a little too far down the menu to enjoy.

At one point, he had even had his hand resting on her thigh- and she had zero knowledge of just how long it had been there.

Nor did she have knowledge of just how long her hand had been resting on top of his.

Sonya was pretty certain his behavior was rubbing off on her, or maybe she was just picking it up on her own.

Her fingers curled against his shoulder as she breathed him in, taking in the hint of smoke on his clothing and skin. Secondhand contamination from the growing number of people who were smoking inside now; it didn't help that the bar staff had closed the windows as light turned into dark outside.

"I'm not worried about you," Sonya whispered.

Her lips brushed against his skin as she spoke.

And she found herself getting carried away with the soft contact.

Leaning in, Sonya pressed her lips more firmly against his neck, feeling the heat of his skin against them with the gesture. It was a soft gesture, but the impulsive nature of it seemed to be enough to bring out a quiet groan from his throat- which of course only urged her on.

Her hand slowly found its way to his jaw, fumbling some in the search, before Sonya pulled him in against her now, before she tilted his head back. The movement gave her more access to the skin above the cut of his collar, allowing her to kiss it once more before she bit lightly into the soft flesh, before she pulled a knot of it between her lips.

She heard the quiet gasp in response.

Suckling on the skin, she slowly worked her way up along his neck, creating a small pattern of red rings in her wake as she did so.

It never crossed her mind how they would look in the morning.

She didn't really care about the morning right now.

By the time she reached his jaw, she felt Kung Lao turn to catch her by the lips and easily went into the kiss.

She could taste the beer between them, between parted lips and rolling tongues.

It tasted much sweeter in his mouth.

She felt the touch of his hand on her cheek as he turned his body towards her, as his fingers moved to knit through her blonde hair before his palm cupped the back of her head, keeping her pulled in against him. Keeping her firm against his lips, against his mouth, sealing the thin space between them now.

It was stupid how easy it was for her to kiss him.

They kissed for a little too long, that much Sonya was certain of- and yet, every time she thought to pull away, she was met with her own resistance to the idea. She was met with the thought of just a few more seconds, just a little more exploration of what his mouth could provide her. There was the feeling of one hand tucked underneath her ponytail while the other curled itself in her jacket, before it dropped to curl around her thigh; his fingers grasping at the loose wrinkles of her pants.

It was the call for air that was stronger than their own sense of self-resistance.

"You know what would really make Cage mad?" Kung Lao started, posing the question just as soon as they were apart.

And the question sparked an idea for an answer.

One that brought a drunken grin to her lips as she leaned back to look at him.

"I think I know where this is going," she replied, "- and I'm surprised it took you this long to ask."

"The gun was making me nervous."

Sonya chuckled and pulled him back into another kiss; her fingers gently stroking his cheek as she did.

"Well come on then, it's a bit of a walk back to the hotel- and we might sober up by then."


End file.
